Impale

Impale is a Hatred Generating Demon Hunter skill unlocked at Level 2.

This skill changed drastically during the beta test, and in patch 5 it switched from a 40 cost Hatred Spender bow skill to a Hatred Generating knife throwing skill.

Background

Impale, dagger-throwing form.

Originally a single target, huge damage bow skill, this one changed to a thrown dagger, Hatred Generator during beta testing.

Skill Effects

The following is a very quick list. See the Impale rune effects page for a more thorough summary of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.

Icon	Skill	Description

Impale Hatred Spender (Level 2)

[e] Cost: 25 Hatred Impale a target for 275% weapon damage.

Grievous Wounds

[e] Critical hits deal an additional 500% weapon damage.

Overpenetration

[e] The shot will pierce through all enemies in a straight line for 358% weapon damage.

Recoil

[e] Every shot releases a shockwave of energy centered on you dealing 120% weapon damage to all enemies within 10 yards.

Impact

[e] Shots knock the target back and stun them for 3.50 seconds.

Liquid Flame

[e] Fire an explosive shell that deals an additional 275% weapon damage over 2 seconds.

Note: Information is based on a level 60 character and rank 7 runestones.

Skill Design

Impale's original function.

The initial version of Impale was a Hatred-expensive (40) big-damage, single-shot bow skill. The skill's sound effect was like a cannon being fired, and an instant later a large explosion would light up the target.

There was no tracer or animation between the Demon Hunter and the target, so it could be hard to tell what you were targeting, especially since the skill would hit the first enemy in the line of sight. Impale could thus not be used against enemies in the back row, such as shamans or summoners, unless the player had a clear line to them.

In the Beta v5 patch Impale was changed entirely, switching to a Hatred Generating attack with an animation of a thrown silver dagger. It basically functions as a normal bow shot now, hitting the first enemy it encounters for decent damage, while adding Hatred on every use, whether it hits anything or not.

Synergies

There are no current synergies for Impale. The skill does work nicely with Shadow Power, which increases the Demon Hunter's attack speed for a short time. Since each shot of Impale generates some Hatred, the faster the Demon Hunter can shoot, the more Hatred will refill.

Dual-wielding pistol crossbows works well with Impale for the same reason, as Impale can be thrown much more quickly with two bows than with one.

• No synergies with any of the Demon Hunter passives are yet known.

Development

Impale was first seen at the July 2011 Press Event, where it was a level 11 skill. Unfortunately, no information about the skill's function was available, though it seems likely it was the big-damage, one-shot bow skill at that point.

Media

Impale can be seen in action on video here:

• None yet.

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:

• Diablo III screenshots and pictures
• Impale specific gallery contents

References

• JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Demon Hunter (Translated by Zediono)
• HardRock's Demon Hunter Skills and Their Rune Effects -- IncGamers 6th Sep 2011
• Demon Hunter Active Skills -- Diablo III 12th Sep 2011

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer primary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer secondary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer corpses

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer bloodandbone

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer reanimation

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer curses